Tahoe agency gives lawyers one week to settle pollution suit

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority voted to give its attorney one week to try and settle a suit with a couple who claim a July 4 fireworks show is polluting the lake in violation of the Clean Water Act.

The agency scheduled an emergency meeting in Stateline late Thursday afternoon to consider ending its sponsorship of the holiday tradition that helps attract an estimated 100,000 people to the alpine lake each summer.

AREA. CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO FINISH BY LATE JUNE. SPARKS WERE FLYING IN LAKE TAHOE AT A MEETING WHERE THERE WAS TALK OF CANCELING A SUMMER TRADITION. THE FIREWORK SHOW IS IN JEOPARDY . KEVIN OLIVER REPORTS ON THE LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE THE FOURTH OF JULY. FIREWORKS HAVE BEEN LIGHTING UP THE SKIES OF LAKE TAHOE FOR DECADES ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, THAT IT MAY NOW BE LIGHTS OUT. AT A PACKED MEETING THE BOARD VOTED TO CANCEL THIS YEAR'S FIREWORKS IF IT COULD NOT SETTLE A LAWSUIT WITH THE NEVADA COUPLE OVER ALLEGATIONS OF VIOLATIONS OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT. IT WILL GO TO COURT AFTER COURT AND WOULD BANKRUPT THIS GROUP IMMEDIATELY. JOSEPH AND JOAN DID NOT ATTEND THE MEETING. IN JANUARY THEY CLAIMED FIREWORK DEBRIS WASHED UP BY THEIR HOME. I THOUGHT IT WAS MORE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE. BASE PATH WERE IS ONE OF 12 SHOWS, BUT THEY FEAR THIS WILL SET A PRECEDENT AND COULD AFFECT ALL THE SHOWS HERE AND FIREWORK CELEBRATIONS HELD OVER BODIES OF WATER ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THEY ARE PRAYING FOR INTERVENTION. IT IS REALLY SAD THAT A COUPLE OF PEOPLE COULD DESTROY SUCH A FAMILY TRADITION. WE HAD THREE VERY BAD TEETH SEASONS -- SKI SEASONS, AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE THE FIREWORKS DISPLAYS. THE AUTHORITIES ARE HOPEFUL